Linz ASK 3 – 6 Liverpool
Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick and Florian Wirtz shone after recent criticism as Liverpool thrashed LASK 6-3 to earn their second win in the Champions League.
Barcola kick-started his Liverpool career, having not scored or assisted in six appearances since his £123m move from Paris Saint-Germain, while Wirtz responded to calls for him to be dropped with a fine performance in what was expected to be a comfortable evening against the Austrian Bundesliga champions.
Liverpool had 19 shots in the opening period, a new record for an away team in the first half of a Champions League game, as Ronald Araujo headed in his first goal for the club before Barcola got off the mark with a tidy finish and then slotted in another from a Wirtz pass.
Andoni Iraola’s side were relentless with Trey Nyoni, 19, impressing in midfield alongside Ryan Gravenberch and they helped add a fourth when Jeremie Frimpong met Kostas Tsimikas’ cross with an excellent header that went in off the post just six minutes after the break.
Iraola benched Virgil van Dijk in Austria for only the third time in Liverpool’s 39 Champions League games since 2022, but when he and Joe Gomez were introduced at centre-back in the 62nd minute, they conceded three times.
Barcola’s hat-trick, a tap-in from Frimpong’s cross, followed Robert Ljubicic’s consolation before Wales striker Lewis Koumas, leading the line in Alexander Isak’s absence, deservedly scored Liverpool’s sixth after he had two efforts ruled out for offside.
Florian Flecker reduced the deficit late on with two clinical finishes in two minutes, exposing Liverpool’s sloppy defending to take some shine off the victory.
The key moments from a goal-fest…
- 22: GOAL! Liverpool get their reward after a strong start as Araujo climbs highest at a corner to head in his first goal for the club.
- 24: TWO IN TWO MINUTES! Barcola calmly slots in from 12 yards for his first Liverpool goal.
- 31: OFFSIDE! Liverpool striker Koumas has his well-taken finish ruled out for offside.
- 33: OFF THE WOODWORK! Liverpool are threatening to run riot as Gravenberch strikes the inside of the right post.
- 37: BARCOLA AGAIN! Wirtz has been at the heart of Liverpool’s superb first-half performance and he threads a pass through for Barcola to score.
- 51: GOAL! Liverpool get their fourth as Frimpong meets Tsimikas’ cross with a superb header that goes in off the post.
- 53: OFFSIDE FLAG 2-0 KOUMAS! The Liverpool striker is denied again by the flag after finding the net.
- 62: SUBS! Van Dijk and Gomez come on at the back for Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo.
- 63: GOAL! Liverpool’s new centre-back pairing concede instantly as Ljubicic strikes.
- 66: HAT-TRICK! Barcola gets his third and it is his easiest of the night, tapping in from just yards out.
- 72: KOUMAS GETS HIS GOAL! He wasn’t to be denied and finally Koumas can celebrate for real following his close-range finish.
- 75: GOAL! Flecker stoops to turn in Dibango’s cross.
- 77: GOAL! It’s Flecker again! Twice in two minutes he capitalises on poor defending to find the net.
Liverpool defence dampens big win
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Lee Hendrie felt Liverpool’s 6-3 win against LASK was a ‘great result’ but admits he was concerned by the their defence.
Sky Sports’ David Richardson:
On a night when so much went right for Liverpool, some defensive concerns remained. More worryingly, the problems began when experienced duo Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez came on, replacing the untested partnership of Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo.
Finding balance in this Liverpool side was a factor in Arne Slot’s dismissal and something Andoni Iraola has struggled with early in his time at the club.
The attack hasn’t been free-flowing this season either, creating just nine big chances in the Premier League, the fewest of any team alongside Aston Villa and Coventry, but it clicked in Austria, albeit against weaker opposition.
Bradley Barcola will hope he has ignited his Liverpool career while Florian Wirtz delivered a confidence-boosting performance and Lewis Koumas’ goal will help him grow in stature.
Liverpool are still very much a work in progress as Iraola finds a formula to blend his big-money signings with a new style of play.
